Radiator for automobiles.



J. BOWBRBANK. RADIATOR POR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED SBPT.16, 1912.

Patented 110.125, 1913.

Hiring/Q unir JOHN W. BOWERBANK, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RADIATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

LQAGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Paten ted Nov. 2 5, 1913.

Application lled September 16, 1912. Serial No. 729,681.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN lV. BownnnANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Radiators for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to radiators, and especially to radiators desi ed for automobiles, and the principal o ject is to provide a radiator in which the full area of the metal in contact with the water will be eX- posed to the air currents.

It is also an object to provide a radiator inL which. the component. elements can be readily separated and quickly assembled, the junction of the flanged sides of a pair of component elements being joined to form a tubular structure with an air space intervening between the tubular fluid bearing" passages.

t is a further object to provide a radiator, a section of which can be readily removed without taking down the whole structure to malte repairs to an individual element.

1n the"drawings accompanying this specification and forming therewith the application for Letters Patent: Figure l is a front elevation of a radiator of the usual automobile form, showing my invention as applied thereto. F ig. 2 1s a central longitudinal section through a -pair of the component units, clearly showing the method of forming the latter with their fins. Fi 3 is a crfoss section on the line 3-3 o Fig. 1, clearly showing the junction of the flanges.

Ileretofore in the building of radiators tubular structures have been used, the terminal ends of which have been inserted into slotted plates secured to the housing, resulting in a structure diflicult to repair, inellcient in its operation and easily clogged, thus preventing free circulation and necessitating the taking down of the entire structure to repair damages sustained in a small portion of the structure.

This invention overcomes the ditliculties above referred to in that it provides a tubular structure formed by the Joining of a plurality of units by simple means, which are easily separated by the application of heat and a section removed readily from the radiator, doing away entirely with the terminal plates.

More specifically in the drawings like numerals indicate the same parts in the diiferent views, 5 representing the housing of an automobile radiator, provided with the usual inlet opening 18 and outlet 17 entering the proper chambers, the exterior casing of the radiator has not been shown. Supported in the housing are a plurality of component units 6, which, joined in their proper relation and secured in the housing as hereinafter described, constitute the improved radiator. A suitable pump, not shown, forces the water through the radiator and the wa ter jackets of the motor.

T he cross section of the housing as clearly shown in Fig. 3, consists of a U shaped structure provided with the preferably inturned flanges 7, or the ed es may be terminated in the same planeas t e body' of the structure, as is clearly shown in the broken away portion of Fig. l, these edges overlapping the component members of the core.

More particularly the core is formed by the securing together of a series of core units preferably formed as shown in Fig. 2 of a continuous stripof copper, or other good conductor of heat, in thegeneral elongated rectangular form, the edges of the strip being turned to form the external flanges 8, the faces of these lianges being parallel with the surface of the stri The thicknessof these units is determined by dividing the area to be covered by the nurnber of elements desired the upper end is formed in the middle of the strip by turning the sides down and carrying them parallel to the base where they are double seamed at 9 and securely soldered in any well known manner. The space inclosed by the inner surfaces of the copper strips forming a core unit is filled by the fin 10 preferably formed, as shown, of a iluted or corrugated strip of metal doubled on its edges. The width of the n being preferably slightly less than that of the core unit. The fins are also formed of one continuous strip bent to form the loop l2 at the upper point, the lower edge being flanged and rolled to a tight tit as shown at 13. These are slidabl mounted in the core member and securedI in the final operation of assembling the complete core. A similar core member is placed adjacent to the one already described and a series of them placed side by side with the lns therein are dipped into a dipping pan until the blder flows to the inner edges of the flanges, thus securely one continuous joint around the points of ycontact of the core with the housing, resulting in a simple and readily assembled structure.

The side walls of the housing are pref' erably rovided with the lates 16 spaced inside t e flanges so that t e same area of water will be carried 'in the tubular passage 15 between the core unit 6 adjacent to the housing and the plate 16.

As will be seen there is only one short seam in the core unit, and the interior of the passage way is perfectly smooth and readily openedby softening the solder along its longitudi'nal seam on either side when one section can be slipped out without damage or interference to the others, resulting in a great saving of labor in assembling the structure and the amount of solder used is reduced about onefourth.

This structure will not break in freezing, as suicient elasticity is present to provide for the expansion as the water is converted into a solid state, and danger from steam pressure is also lessened in view of the expandible qualities. Y

What I claim is:

1. In a radiator construction, a core unit formed of an integral strip of sheet metal, comprising two side walls and' two end walls, the edges of said walls being bent upon themselves to form channels continuous with their external faces, said channels beingl so formed that they open toward one anot er on the same side wall, so said unit may be joined by said inturned edges to a unit of the same construction, whereby inclosed fluid passages are formed having an internally disposed radiating web parallel with the side walls of the respective units.

2. In a radiator construction, a radiator core formed of a strip of sheet metal having its lateral edges bent upon themselves to form channels adjacent said edges with the side walls of said channel in parallel rela tion, said channeled strip being bent to form side walls and end walls with the channels externally thereof, the terminal ends of said strip being lock joined at one of said end walls, to form an elongated rectangular structure whereby the parallell externally' channeled faces of a plurality of units may be joined along said outer side walls of said channels to form an expansihle iuid passage of elongated cross section having a longitudinal web intermediate of its side walls and extending centrally into said fluid passage, and means to secure said walls whereby no radiating area is lost and one unitmay be readily separated from a plurality of units so joined.

vIn witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 5th day of Sept., 1912.

JOHN W. BOWERBANK. Witnesses:

B. BUNDERS, EARLE R. POLLARD.

Gopics o! this patent may bc obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1D. C. 

